Indianapolis Colts LB Zaire Franklin calls Noah Lyles his 'least favorite American'

Not all of Zaire Franklin‘s foes are on the field. On Monday, the Indianapolis Colts linebacker unexpectedly took aim at Olympic runner Noah Lyles, who won the gold medal in the 100-meter dash on Sunday.

“Noah Lyles is my least favorite American. Good morning,” Franklin wrote on X.

Add Franklin to Lyles’ list of enemies. In September 2023, Lyles criticized NBA teams for referring to themselves as world champions. “World champion of what? The United States?” Lyles said.

Lyles received a whirlwind of backlash for his comments, including from NBA standouts such as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Damian Lillard. Perhaps NBA players weren’t the only ones who took offense to Lyles’ criticisms.

Lyles likely isn’t concerned with another voice speaking out against him. On Sunday, Lyles won his first Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter dash, succeeding Italy’s Marcell Jacobs who took home first place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Lyles posted a 9.79-second time in the event — five-thousandths of a second faster than Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who finished second in the event. United States’ Fred Kerley followed closely behind, securing a bronze medal.

Lyles is the first American to win gold in the 100m race since Justin Gatlin in 2004. Lyles entered the 2024 Paris Olympics as the favorite in the event after winning the 2023 World Championship. However, following a subpar lead-up to the final, the narrative began to shift.

Lyles blocked out the noise and delivered a single message after his victory to all the viewers back home, cheering him on: “America, I told you. I got this.”

The 100m gold medal is only the latest accolade in Lyles’ resume. He also hauled in the bronze medal in the 200-meter dash at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. After his slow start in Paris, Lyles warned fans to not give up on him.

“It wasn’t tougher,” Lyles said. “I was more expecting that they would just fall in line, and they didn’t, they took it as ‘I got one shot and I’m going to take it.’ And to be honest, I should have expected that knowing that this is the Olympics. But this is my first time in an Olympic 100. I didn’t. That’s on me, and I won’t let that happen again.”

Lyles followed through on his promise and properly celebrated following his triumph. He isn’t done yet, either. The 27-year-old standout will also compete in the 200m dash and the 4x100m relay. With any luck, Lyles will have more opportunities to silence his doubters throughout the week.